Facts
Who is spreading disinformation at LVJUSD Board Meetings?
Mostly far-right extremists, many from outside Livermore or without children in our schools, who use meetings and social media to push false claims.
Do they represent most LVJUSD parents?
No. The vast majority of parents, teachers, and residents support public education and district programs. Extremists attempt to dominate public comment to spread hate and religious agendas, often delaying real board business.
Are their claims true?
No. Their talking points repeat falsehoods seen in other California districts. They have also mocked students who speak up for inclusion and have harassed supportive community members after meetings.
What’s at stake?
These local disinformation campaigns echo broader attacks by the federal
Below are some claims made at board meetings and fact checks.
View fact checks about claims made at board meetings about the issues below:
Department of Education (ED)
Claim:
We should abolish the U.S. Department of Education (ED) and return the responsibility of education to the states.
Facts:
In the U.S., public education is already primarily a State and local responsibility. States, local communities, and public and private organizations establish schools and colleges, develop curricula, and determine requirements for enrollment and graduation. A substantial amount of public education funding comes from State, local, and private sources. This is especially true at the elementary and secondary level, where only about 8% of funding comes from the Federal government.
For elementary and secondary education, the major responsibility of the ED is to distribute funds to states and school districts. The two largest federal programs are to support special education and to assist students from low-income families (including programs like Head Start and free/reduced meal programs). The ED also administers student loans for college, enforces civil rights legislation, and gathers data on the state of U.S. schools. Its primary role is to ensure equal access to public education across the country and to ensure that federal laws are followed.
The Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA) was passed by Congress with bipartisan support and signed into law by President George H.W. Bush. Its purpose remains vital today: individual states cannot fully afford to provide appropriate instruction for Special Education (SPED) students. Grants from the ED supplement state funding, with the requirement that states show that the money is being used for these specific programs. Current federal proposals would shift this funding into block grants with no accountability for how the money is spent, undermining safeguards that protect students’ needs.
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DEI
Claim:
DEI violates our civil rights laws by giving preferences to people based on race, color, religion, sex, or national origin.
Fact:
Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI) is an effort to address longstanding inequities in our public education system. This means working to ensure the curriculum, teachers, and administrators reflect the diversity of the students, and that a wide range of perspectives are heard. Schools should provide the resources each student needs to be successful, including those from underrepresented backgrounds or those with different learning styles. Students should have a sense of belonging and be actively engaged and integrated into all aspects of the educational experience.
Claim:
DEI diminishes the academic focus that should be the business of our schools.
Fact:
In our increasingly diverse country and globalized world, our students must be exposed to different perspectives, cultures, and languages. This is an important part of preparing them to be successful adults and professionals who can engage and work in an increasingly diverse workforce. For underserved students, DEI is an effort to ensure that we meet the diverse learning needs of all of our students so they can reach their full potential.
Immigrants
Claim:
Undocumented students don’t have the right to attend our public schools.
Fact:
Plyler v. Doe, 457 U.S. 202 (1982) established the right of undocumented children to receive a free public K-12 education in the United States. The U.S. Supreme Court ruled that the Equal Protection Clause of the 14th Amendment prohibits the targeting of a vulnerable group (children) for discrimination. With resources and support, undocumented students can receive the education and preparation they need to become productive members of our society.
Claim:
Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) officers should be allowed to enforce federal laws on school campuses.
Fact:
Schools have long been a safe haven for immigrant students. Federal guidelines discourage ICE agents from making immigration arrests at schools, hospitals, churches, courthouses, and other “sensitive locations,” but these guidelines are under threat in the current administration. Immigration crackdowns can have a significant impact on student attendance, which can lead to less funding for schools, particularly low-income schools that enroll large numbers of immigrant children. Immigration crackdowns can also lead to an increase in bullying, anxiety, and general uncertainty on campus, not just for immigrant children but for everyone. Teachers, in particular, experience high levels of stress when their students’ safety is endangered. Students can’t focus on school work while they fear that they or their friends might lose their parents in an ICE raid.
Trans Athletes
Claim:
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Facts:
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Parental Rights
Claim:
The district should mandate that teachers notify a student’s parents if the student identifies with a gender not assigned at birth.
Fact:
On July 15, 2024 Governor Newsom signed AB 1955, The SAFETY Act, into law. It prohibits districts from enacting forced outing policies and protects school personnel from retaliation if they refuse to violate a student’s privacy about their gender identity. Resources for parents and students are also being developed by the California Department of Education to assist vulnerable populations and their families.
School boards do not pass laws. A board may adopt a policy that relates to existing California legislation. Currently, school boards operate under the legal advice and guidelines that protect the rights of LGBTQIA+ students, including their right to privacy, according to:
CA Education Code
AB 1266
California School Boards Association (CSBA) analysis of state law
Guidance from the California State Department of Education.
Please see the links to these references below.
Books
Claim:
Students should not have access to sexually explicit books. Examples given at board meetings are Queer by Kathy Belge & Mark Bieschke and the book Gender Queer: A Memoir by Maia Kobabe.
Parents should have the power to remove such books from school libraries.
Fact:
The US Constitution protects the right to receive information and ideas. School officials may not exercise their discretion to remove books from a school library based on “narrowly partisan or political” grounds, because doing so would amount to an “official suppression of ideas.”
A student’s First Amendment rights include the right to access books and information. This is a profound right, as expressed in the letter Governor Gavin Newsom and Attorney General Rob Bonta sent to all California school leaders, outlining the protections to school libraries under the First Amendment and the duty to provide an inclusive curriculum.
LVJUSD Board Policy 1312.2 and its accompanying Regulation 1312.2, provide a complaint mechanism regarding the content or use of any specific instructional material.
Health Education
Claim:
Teachers should not be teaching students about gender identity.
Fact:
Classroom instruction is determined by the school board and the California State Department of Education. K-12 health courses have standards of instruction that are outlined in detail. One of the objectives of the CA Healthy Youth Act is to “provide students with the knowledge and skills they need to develop healthy attitudes concerning adolescent growth and development, body image, gender, sexual orientation, relationships, marriage, and family.”
Additional Information
Laws pertaining to classroom instruction regarding sexual orientation
“Instruction shall affirmatively recognize that people have different sexual orientations and, when discussing or providing examples of relationships and couples, must be inclusive of same-sex relationships. It must also teach students about gender, gender expression, and gender identity and explore the harm of negative gender stereotypes. This means that schools must teach about all sexual orientations and what being lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, questioning, intersex and asexual (LGBTQIA+) means.”
Pride Month
Claim:
Pride Month promotes body mutilation and sexual activity.
Fact:
From the United States Census Bureau:
“The purpose of the commemorative month is to recognize the impact that lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender individuals have had on history locally, nationally, and internationally.”
On June 13, 2023 the LVJUSD Board passed RESOLUTION NO. 084 – 22/23, which states, “Locally and nationally, June is recognized as LGBTQIA+ Pride Month. In keeping with our focus on equity, diversity, and inclusion, Resolution No. 084-22/23 has been prepared to proclaim June 2023 as LGBTQIA+ Pride Month.”
Additional Information
From the Library of Congress:
“Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender and Queer (LGBTQIA+) Pride Month is currently celebrated each year in the month of June to honor the 1969 Stonewall Uprising in Manhattan. The Stonewall Uprising was a tipping point for the Gay Liberation Movement in the United States.”
CA Standards Aligned Curriculum & Instructional Materials
Claim:
Teachers are indoctrinating and grooming our children by teaching LGBTQIA+ curriculum.
Fact:
Classroom instructional lessons are based on the state-adopted curriculum standards and objectives outlined by the school district and the California State Department of Education.
The FAIR Education Act (also known as SB 48) was signed into law in 2011. It requires that California public schools provide Fair, Accurate, Inclusive and Respectful representations of our diverse ethnic and cultural population in the K-12 grade history and social studies curriculum.
The FAIR Education Act is found in the Education Code (section 51204.5). It prescribes the inclusion of the contributions of various groups in the history of California and the United States. This includes the study of the roles and contributions of both men and women, Native Americans, African Americans, Mexican Americans, Asian Americans, Pacific Islanders, European Americans, lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender Americans, persons with disabilities, and members of other ethnic and cultural groups to the economic, political, and social development of California and the United States of America, with particular emphasis on portraying the role of these groups in contemporary society.
Claim:
LVJUSD is focused on teaching gender identity and sexuality instead of teaching reading, writing, and math.
Fact:
All grade levels in LVJUSD provide a curriculum which follows the state content standards defined by the California Department of Education (CDE).
California is working to ensure that every classroom is a safe learning environment and every student has access to the information they need to grow into a healthy adult.
California’s Health Education Initiatives - Health Education Framework (CA Dept of Education)
Sex education is not taught to young children. By law, topics taught must be age appropriate for the typical capacities of the age group. Students learn about changes that happen during puberty in grade 5. They receive sex education, including STD/HIV prevention, in grades 7 and 9 as set forth in the CA Healthy Youth Act.
Parents/guardians must request in writing that their child not participate in the above instruction (passive consent, or “opt-out”)
Additional Information
LVJUSD has a Curriculum and Instruction Department responsible for selecting curriculum and instructional materials, course development and approval, professional development, and assessment.
How can I help?
Share, vote, engage!
Share this information with your friends and neighbors.
Learn more about LVJUSD Policies.
Spread the word that LVJUSD, like all public school districts in the state of California, is following the laws and policies governing public education curriculum requirements and students’ and parents’/guardians’ rights.
Recognize our school board and superintendent as dedicated parents and community members who are committed to protecting every child’s right to learn in a safe, inclusive environment.
Write to LVJUSD School Board supporting the above facts and students’ rights.
